Autumn Twilight----Zutara
by MissDudette and TheOnlyBean
Summary: They were as the sun and the moon forever chasing each other in the sky and for one evening during the autumn season they were able to be with each other again even if it was only for a few moments.


Autumn Twilight

"Faster driver, faster!" My mistress yelled to the coachman as we sped along the worn rocky road amidst the trees. Where we were going, I did not know. All I knew was that my mistress was in a great hurry and she seemed frightened of something. I wish I could have helped her, but she would not say what she was frightened of and it worried me deeply. I was just hired as the lady's hand maid this very evening and was on my way to her room when she suddenly appeared, as a ghost, and rushed towards the door. The woman who had hired me ushered me to follow my mistress. I did so.

She was wearing a blue silk gown, almost as blue as the moon, with a darker blue trim to accent the edges. Her brown hair fell about her face and shoulders in natural waves accenting her tanned skin. Her eyes were as blue the ocean and they seemed to be lost in a time that did not exist anymore. It seemed as if she was too late, but for what, I could not fathom. I followed her line of sight outside of the stagecoach and into the forest. What I saw was truly mesmerizing. The sun light illuminated the autumn foliage falling to the ground as we passed by, what seemed like, a million miles a second. I watched as the brilliant colors danced in the autumn twilight before being lost to the darkness of nightfall. However, the scene did not last long.

Suddenly, the coach shook, the driver screamed, and I had a harrowing sensation of hurtling through the dark air of the cab. The wood made an awful noise when it splintered on the ground, and now I could hear the horses screaming outside as if they were broken in some way. I shook my head, trying to get my bearings back, then looked to my mistress, but she was not there. I panicked and climbed out of the wreckage, trying to ignore the splinters digging into my skin. I saw her, running away from the cab. I looked at the driver as I was unsure if he was still alive, but he moved about and grumbled. He told me to go after the mistress. That is exactly what I did.

I lost her in the woods, but I kept running in the direction I assumed she was going until I caught a glimpse of her blue dress amongst the trees. "M'lady wait!" I called after her, but she would not stop. I hitched up my dress so that I could run faster, but my mistress seemed to be getting farther and farther away from me. I realized we were running up a hill and my breath became strained as the hill became harder to climb. "M'lady!" I called again. She disappeared over the top of the hill.

I pushed myself harder until I reached the top. I hoped that nothing bad had befallen her. I stopped as soon as came over the hill, I was blinded by the sunlight that glared into my eyes. I shielded my face, but still, I tried to locate my mistress. I could barely see her in the sun, but at least she had stopped, "M'lady…" Wait! Who was that standing in the clearing? My eyes adjusted to the change in lighting and I was able to see the man clearly now. He was wearing a red overcoat with gold trim, standard trousers, gold trimmed boots and his hat was the same as his coat.

His eyes were as gold as the sun and his hair was as black as a raven's feather. There was a scar on the left side of his face that gave him a marred complexion. Yet his eyes were full of kindness and happiness and sadness. I looked back to my mistress and watched her, wishing that I knew who this man was and why she stood frozen like a statue. I wanted to run to her and pull her away from this man, for I was afraid of her safety, but I found that I was frozen as well. Then, like a spell broken, my mistress ran to this strange man and he swept her into his arms and spun her around in the air.

I watched in utter amazement as the two stood there in the clearing looking into each other's eyes with joy so great and sadness so heartbreaking that I was breathless. It seemed as if they weren't supposed to be together and yet they found a way to defy the laws of their ways and be together for just one moment.

As the sun dipped below the horizon the man vanished with it. My mistress fell to her knees and let her brown hair fall around her shoulders and cover her face. I slowly walked to her and kneeled down beside her. "M'lady?" I saw a stream of glistening tears running down her cheek and splashing onto the dead grass below us. I did not say another word. I grabbed her arms and helped her to her feet so we could start the long journey back to the mansion.

The next day, I had returned to the mansion alone, for my mistress had vanished with the morning rise. As I came upon the great house I saw the man, the man with the scar and gold trimmed boots, from before standing at the door looking out into the road. It was as if he was expecting someone important, but when he saw it was me he turned and walked into the house without a word spoken.

I told my story to the old maid who worked at the mansion far longer than I had. She told me that the man was our lady's husband and he came only during the winter and disappeared as spring turned into summer and that was when my mistress would appear, during the summer and fall seasons. His name was Zuko and he was once a prince from the East who came to the South and met a woman for whom he fell deeply in love with. Her name was Katara, a simple peasant girl, but she was just as in love with Zuko as he was for her. However, they were not meant to be together forever, jealousy and hatred separated them, but they found a way to find each other again. They were as the sun and the moon forever chasing each other in the sky and for one evening during the autumn season they were able to be with one another again even if it was only for a few moments.

That story has almost faded now as have my years. I am but an old woman telling tales of woe to the kind people who pass by the mansion. Every now and again, though, I will see two people holding each other in the autumn twilight and I will remember my lady and her husband. I will know that they have found each other again.


End file.
